Millstone
by Sparkly Faerie
Summary: AU. Several years after graduating Hogwarts, Lily once again meets James Potter, who is in a very different kind of trouble than the one that he used to produce in school. Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him... and his young son.
1. Chapter One

**Millstone:** n. A heavy and inescapable responsibility.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Another AU fic from me!<strong>

**This one is very different from Professor—I'm thinking there'll be a little more drama in this one. It's not as straightforward as Professor, either. James has actual baggage in this story!**

**Never fear. It's still JPLE.**

**This is another story that I've had in my mind for a while. If you read Professor, you'll be familiar with Amelia, who is only _mentioned_ in this fic. I haven't decided if she'll actually make a physical appearance in this one (I don't think so, though). You'll also know Charlie Potter, from my 'vision' chapter. I generally got a good response from him, so he's gained a place in this story. :D**

**I'm still working on the Halloween update for Professor.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. All rights to Harry Potter and affiliated products belong to Ms J.K. Rowling and the other proper entities.

**Summary:** Several years after graduating Hogwarts, Lily once again meets James Potter, who is in a very different kind of trouble than the one that he used to produce in school. Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him... and his young son.

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Warnings:** None.

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><p><strong>Millstone<strong>

**Chapter One**

Lily Evans made a disgusted noise, slapping _The Daily Prophet_ to her kitchen table in disgust. Ever since Dumbledore defeated Voldemort a year previously, there had been accusations flying around as to his remaining Death Eaters. And, while a lot of them were based on legitimate concerns, the case _currently_ all over the newspaper appeared to be a case of 'guilty by association'.

"Did you see this?" She called out to her flatmate.

Marlene McKinnon came into the living area of their small, two-bedroom London flat, running her wand over her wild, curly blonde hair to settle it into long, straight tresses. "Who are they accusing this time?" She asked with a sigh, summoning a bowl, the milk, and a box of cereal.

Lily cast her eye back to the newspaper before thrusting it to her friend. Tiredly, Marlene picked it up and scanned the front-page story for a few moments, her mouth getting thinner and thinner as her eyebrows travelled higher and higher. Finally, she slapped the paper down in much the same manner as Lily had, causing a protest from several of the photographs that had hit the table.

"The people they'll accuse." She snarled in contempt. "Honestly, James Potter is the _last_ person I'd _ever_ have thought to be a Death Eater. His _friend_, now that's a different story, but just because his wife and one of his mates were spies doesn't mean that he is."

Lily nodded along with her friend. "I hope they drop the charges. Last time I saw Potter he looked absolutely devastated."

Marlene fixed her with a shrewd eye. "When did you see Potter?"

Lily shrugged, standing and putting her dishes in the sink. "I was at the Ministry the day that his wife's verdict was announced. You remember that job interview I had last year?" Her tone made it clear what she thought of said interview.

"It says here that the hearing today is open to the public." Marlene looked down at the paper. "I'd like to go, but I have work…"

"I might." Lily said offhandedly, heading into her room to dress. She left the door open so as the conversation could continue. "I'm off today."

"Not fair!" Marlene whined. "I want your hours!"

"I want your pay." Lily called back from her bedroom, struggling into a pair of dark trousers while trying to keep her balance. She shrugged on a soft, light blue polo neck jumper to guard against the cold outside the heated flat and came back out, pulling her hair into a shining ponytail. "How do I look?" She asked, giving a turn. "Do I fit Ministry dress codes?"

"Very nice." Marlene grinned. "Where'd you get that jumper?"

"A muggle shop, last week." Lily had been proud of herself for the find. The tag had said that it was a cotton blend, but Lily (whose mother had been a seamstress, and had taught Lily a great deal of the textiles industry between terms at Hogwarts) was convinced that it was flannel. It was lovely and warm, the pretty shade of blue making up for the lack of decoration.

"You really have to teach me to dress like a muggle." Marlene complained as Lily threw on a set of dark robes and grabbed her purse. "Where are you off to?"

"First, to scare the hell out of my sister's husband and kid, then to the Ministry for Potter's hearing this afternoon, I think. I'll be stopping at Diagon Alley on the way home, too. We need more Floo Powder." Lily was reaching behind her neck to fix on her necklace, having already put her small golden hoops in her ears. "Will you be home for supper tonight?"

"Probably." Marlene shrugged. "I think I'll leave early and come to the trial."

"Alright," Lily grabbed her handbag, "I'll see you there, then."

"Bye." Marlene said as Lily turned on her heel and disappeared with a loud _crack!_

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><p>Lily arrived at the Ministry in a bad mood, seething. Her sister had screeched herself hoarse at her for absentmindedly sending her teacup to the sink to wash itself in front of her son. Lily had been so fed up with Petunia that she had declared, only living family or not, she would <em>not<em> be contacting her again, and they could go back to pretending that the other didn't exist, like they had when they were children. Their parents would be disappointed (they had always hoped that Lily and Petunia would reconcile when they got older), but Lily couldn't stand another moment in that _cow_'s presence.

She headed into the lobby of the Ministry, looking up the list of trials on the bulletin board and listening to the announcements.

_"…For the Department of Experimental Charms, please take Elevator Three to the second floor. For the Wizengamot hearings, please take Elevator Four to Dungeon Level one two, three, or four. For the Department of the Improper use of Magic, please take Elevator Five to the sixth floor…"_

There he was—_James Potter: Dungeon Level 4, 3pm_.

Lily brusquely made her way to the elevator at the other end of the Lobby with a big golden _4_ on it and crammed in with about a dozen other wizards and witches, most of them older than even her parents had been. As the gates closed, she heard the witch doing the announcements say _"Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic, and have a nice day!"_

About half the elevator was empty by the time the grate slid shut on level three. Now that there was room to breathe, a pair of old witches and a wizard were conversing in hushed tones to Lily's right.

"They'll convict him for sure. There's no way that he's not a Death Eater with a wife like that one." One of the old crones was saying. "And he was friends with one, too! I mean, come on, the Wizengamot aren't daft. Who's going to believe he's innocent? James Potter will be in Azkaban tonight, you mark my words."

Lily seethed. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was unfair accusations. Before she could stop herself, she said loudly, "James Potter is the last person on the face of the earth who would be a Death Eater.", glaring at them. They were looking at her in shock, as if they'd never seen anything quite like her before.

"Forgive me, dear," one of the old women said, not unkindly, "but just because the young man looks good on a broomstick doesn't mean that he's not an evil wizard."

"Funny," Lily snapped acerbically, "I was under the impression that I was speaking from the fact that I've known the man since he was eleven years old, _not_ from his career as a Quidditch player, and that I've seen how much he hates the Dark Arts." She left out the fact that she hadn't had much contact with him since he'd married when they were twenty (his wife had put a lot of demands on his time and he hadn't been able to write to her as often as he had while they were working for the Order). Before the woman could respond, the elevator dinged, and Lily stepped off.

She strode down the hallway, her temper calming down again. There were doors on either side of the hallway, presumably leading into different courtrooms. She didn't stop until she found the one that had '_POTTER, J._' scrawled across it in big, purple letters, and pushed the door open.

She skirted around the side of the room, climbing the stairs into the public seating area along the back wall—it was half filled already. She recognised a few faces from Hogwarts or the Order of the Phoenix sitting on one side—the old bats from the elevator came in behind her and sat on the other, casting dark looks at Lily as she made her way across the seats.

Alice Longbottom, who Lily hadn't seen since graduation, spotted Lily making her way across to them, and waved her over anxiously. Managing a strangled smile, Lily took the seat next to her, leaning over to greet Dorcas Meadows and Mary Macdonald on Alice's other side.

"It's awful, isn't it?" Alice was whispering over the sounds of the Wizengamot entering from the other side of the room. "Frank has to give evidence. He's one of the Aurors on the case."

"He doesn't think it's true, does he?" Lily murmured back.

Alice shook her head. "He's giving evidence on James's behalf. The Minister isn't happy, look."

She wasn't. As James Potter was lead into the room by a pair of Aurors (one of which was Frank, she noted, and the other one could only have been Alastor Moody), Millicent Bagnold, the Minister for Magic, scowled deeply. Lily's hands were clenched tightly in her lap—even if they hadn't spoken much in the last few years, James was her friend. During their sojourn as Head Boy and Girl in their seventh year, they'd gotten quite close. She'd attended his wedding, and had sent her congratulations when she'd heard of the birth of his son three years ago.

"Where's his little boy?" She leant towards Alice as the chains in the throne-like chair slithered up James's arms. He looked white and ashen beneath his messy black hair. By the look of him, she'd hazard a guess that they'd held him in Azkaban.

"With Amelia's parents." Alice muttered back. "I think they're hoping he gets convicted, so they get control of the Potter fortune. I'll bet my wand that's what this is all about. It's an underhanded attempt to get their hands on his son and his money."

"That's awful." Dorcas was shaking her head.

"That's what the Yaxleys do." Mary muttered bitterly. "Amelia's Mum's not a Yaxley by name, but she's just as much one as her mother was."

The door down the front opened again, admitting Marlene, who cast her glance around the room. Lily leant out and waved at her to get her attention, beckoning her toward them. She hurried up the stairs and settled on Lily's other side. "Goodness, it's like a reunion, isn't it? I just saw Sirius and Remus outside."

"Half the House is here." Mary nodded. "The only one from our year _not_ here is Pettigrew, and that's because he's already in prison."

"Everyone knows this is a cock-and-bull story." Dorcas said viciously. "I mean, for Merlin's sake, Moody _and_ Dumbledore are testifying on James's behalf. _No one_ can think he's a Death Eater with _both_ of them on his side—" she cut off when the he Minister stood from her seat. The trial had begun.

"James Potter," the Minister's voice, though distinctly feminine, was quite forbidding, "you have been brought before this Council of Magical Law to answer to charges of consorting with Dark Wizards and passing information to various members of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's supporters." She was breathing heavily through her nose, nostrils flaring.

Lily looked behind her—there were various important members of the Ministry in the benches. Bartemius Crouch (the only one Lily knew by name) was scowling down at James with an expression of utmost contempt on his face.

"Why isn't Dumbledore up there?" Mary asked.

"He's too close to James." Alice shook her head. "Bagnold asked him to step aside for this one. Dumbledore doesn't mind—it means he can speak on James's behalf."

"Interrogators;" the Minister continued, "Millicent Prudence Bagnold, Minister for Magic. Bartemius Crouch Senior, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Amelia Bones, Court Scribe."

There was a bit of a commotion at the front of the room again, as the door swung open to admit another group of people, all of whom stood in a line behind James's chair. Some of them, like Sirius, were glaring viciously up at the Minister behind her podium—but others, like Dumbledore, looked mildly interested in the proceedings. Remus wasn't necessarily looking angry, but he wasn't calm either—he was casting nervous glances around the room. He let a small grin form on his face when he spotted the five Gryffindor girls, tapping Sirius on the shoulder and pointing them out to him.

"Witnesses for the Defence;" she continued in a tight voice, as though she'd wished he hadn't any, "Alastor Moody. Frank Longbottom. Sirius Orion Black. Remus John Lupin. Emmaline Vance. Rubeus Hagrid. Minerva McGonagall. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

The trial was vicious. Lily had never seen anything like it; the Ministry members (some more rabid than others) threw accusation after accusation at James, who was progressively becoming more and more flustered as time wore on.

"She was my wife!" He'd protested when they accused him of passing information to Voldemort's supporters. "Of course I talked to her! And Peter was my friend since we were eleven years old! We were both members of the Order! I swear, I didn't know they were Death Eaters!"

After the Ministry was done, the Defence took turns speaking. Moody gave a long and compelling speech as to James's innocence, stating that the Dark Artefacts that had been found in various strange places throughout his house had all been traced back to his wife. His friends, and his teachers, swore that he was a good man who happened to be hoodwinked by some particularly tricky Dark Wizards. By the time Dumbledore stepped forward to give his evidence, some of the members of the jury were looking down at James in various mixtures of horror and pity.

"James Potter is, and always has been, an ardent opposer of Dark Magic." Dumbledore began to pace around the courtroom, his strong voice echoing in the deathly silence. "I have known the young man since he was a small boy and, though always a mischievous child, he never meant any ill will to anyone who did not practice the Dark Arts. He has also always been particularly fond of Muggle-born witches and wizards." There were a few witches in the jury who were nodding along, thoroughly convinced by this point that the charges were false. Lily could have sworn Dumbledore's eyes had flashed up to her for a moment. "He has worked tirelessly with myself and the Order of the Phoenix to bring about Lord Voldemort's—" he ignored the winces around the room, "—fall from power. These charges against him are no more than a fabrication of his wife's relatives, in an attempt to assume control of his estate. It is a lowly trick, by his in-laws—who are furious that he had caught his wife engaging in Death Eater activities and gave evidence that landed her in Azkaban—to slander his good name and take what is rightfully his; his son, and his family's inheritance."

"Here, here!" A wizard called out from the jury, amid some general muttering of agreement. Lily let out a sigh of relief; Alice and Marlene, who had grabbed her hands during the trial (the five women had formed something of a chain throughout the course of the hearing), relaxed their grip and slumped back in their seats.

"There's no way they'll convict him after that." Alice said decisively. "They completely trashed their case. They _can't_ convict him."

Even the Minister was looking slightly unsure. Crouch, however, was looking unmoved—for all they knew, he could simply think that James had bewitched everyone in the courtroom to believe him. From what Lily had heard of him, she wouldn't put it past him to think like that.

"Very well." The Minister stepped back up to the podium. "Members of the Wizengamot, we have heard the evidence for and against Mister Potter. It is time to come to a decision." There was a slight pause. "All those in favour of conviction?"

Crouch raised his hand. He was the only one.

"All those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?"

Every other person on the jury, including the Minister herself, raised their hands.

"Very well." The Minister looked down at her notes and shuffled her papers. "Mister Potter is hereby cleared of all charges. You are free to return to your son and your home; you may retrieve your wand from the lobby on your way out, with our sincerest apologies."

There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the courtroom. Lily chanced a glance at the old crones from the elevator—they looked mutinous. No doubt, she thought, they were made in the same mould as Crouch.

She and the other Gryffindors in the box swept past them and out the door, hurrying up catch up to James and his witnesses.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed Chapter One! Please drop me a review and let me know what you thought!<strong>


	2. Chapter Two

**HAY GUYZ I MADE A TUMBLR. Lol. Link is in my profile. I've been posting a lot of opinion stuff on Harry Potter, and a few shorts (with fanart and gif illustrations) that I wont be posting here (mostly because they're around or less than 100 words). So if you want little frequent Lily/James things, you can check that out. ;D**

**Anyway, Happy Halloween, readers!**

**I know, I only said Halloween update for Professor, but I figured I may as well squeeze one out for this story too! I'm glad I got so many positive responses for the last chapter, especially since a lot of people don't like their 'ships with one of the characters already having kids.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. All rights to Harry Potter and affiliated products belong to Ms J.K. Rowling and the other proper entities.

**Summary:** Several years after graduating Hogwarts, Lily once again meets James Potter, who is in a very different kind of trouble than the one that he used to produce in school. Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him... and his young son.

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Warnings:** None.

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><p><strong>Millstone<strong>

**Chapter Two**

The girls caught up with them in the lobby, where James was signing the paperwork to get his wand back. The press were pressing their cameras in their faces—with the general din of the lobby, and the reporters shouting questions at them all at once, Lily could barely hear herself think. She couldn't see for the mass of bodies and camera flashes going off in her face.

"Just keep your head down," Alice told them over the noise, "and push your way through. Stick together!"

It took a small eternity before they managed to get out onto the London street, shedding their cloaks, folding them in the loos and hanging them over their arms to look like Muggle jackets, and stashing their wands up their sleeves. They were safe out on the Muggle streets—the reporters did not dare follow them outside.

"Hello, ladies!" Sirius called out to them, waving jovially at them from the exit to the men's bathroom on the other side of the block. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"As if we wouldn't come to show our support." Dorcas snorted. "You boys know us better than that."

Lily caught James's eye. She was started to see his sad attempt at a wan smile—she gave him an encouraging grin in return, and was rewarded with a slightly more enthusiastic one. "All the same. Thanks for coming, ladies." James murmured, not taking his eyes off Lily.

She blushed, stepping on Marlene's foot to get her to stop slyly elbowing her from behind. "Of course we came. We're all friends, aren't we?"

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Remus rubbed his hands together to ward off the chilly autumn night. "I say this calls for a celebration, don't you? James's acquittal, and all of Gryffindor class of seventy-eight back together again?" No one bothered to remind him of Peter's absence.

"I have to get Charlie from Amelia's Mum." James grimaced. "I don't want to give them any more ammunition."

"I'll come with." Sirius clapped an arm around James's shoulder. "But there's gotta be a kid-friendly place _somewhere_ that we can go."

"There's a Muggle café that Lily and I go to sometimes, a few streets away." Marlene hooked her thumb over her shoulder. "There's a playground there for kids, too. It's really nice, especially for such a cheap place, and Lily and I don't live too far away, so you can Apparate or Floo home from our flat after."

"That sounds like a plan." Dorcas grinned. "What do you say?" She asked the others.

"I have to wait for Frank." Alice grimaced. "He should be out in about half an hour."

Sirius waved it away lazily. "It'll take about that to pry dear ol' Tabitha's grimy paws off the kid." He started to lead James back into the bathroom. "We'll be back." Lily watched them go with pursed lips. The last time she had seen James, he had bright and cheerful, full of smiles. Now he seemed almost kind of like a dead thing.

"Whoever made James so quiet has a lot to answer for." Mary sighed, reading Lily's thoughts.

Remus winced. "Amelia was rough on him when they were together." He said. "Demanding. But when she went to jail and he was left to care for Charlie by himself… with Aurors poking their noses in everywhere and Amelia's parents threatening to take Charlie away from him… it's been hard for James, for the last year."

"No wonder he looks like he spent a week in Azkaban." Marlene winced.

"I couldn't imagine if someone tried to take Neville away from me." Alice said in a small voice. "We're lucky we have Augusta to help us when it gets too much. He's there now."

They lapsed into silence again, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another, adjusting handbags and cloaks, looking around uncomfortably. Frank joined them after about twenty minutes, attempting to spark a conversation, but only produced a few weak chuckles and half-hearted comments for his efforts. It wasn't until they heard the high voice of a child coming from in the men's room that the tension shattered, and the women were all over the little boy when they emerged.

"He looks _just_ like you, James." Dorcas was grinning, ruffling the boy's hair.

The child seemed to be uncomfortable with all the attention before he spotted Lily. Tugging on his father's hand, he said, "Daddy, that lady's hair is on fire!" in a very audible whisper. They laughed at James's embarrassment.

"It's not on fire, sweetheart." Lily assured the child, crouching down to his level. "It's just dark orange, see?" She held out a curl from her ponytail for him to touch.

He did so reverently. "I like it." He finally said, letting it go and watching it rejoin the rest of the hair. "Daddy, she's really pretty."

Lily blushed as the others laughed, grinning as she straightened up. Sirius's laugh was booming, making Muggles on the other side of the road look at them funny. "Mate, it looks like he's inherited the Potter curse!"

"Potter curse?" Dorcas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All Potter men," Sirius intoned in a mock-solemn voice, "are doomed to fall head-over-heels in love with redheads. It's why James was such a little prick in school." He winked at Lily, whose blush had intensified with the way everyone was looking at her.

"Padfoot!" James was looking mortified. "Language!" He jerked his head down to the child. Sirius gave an apologetic grin.

"So, are we going to dinner?" Mary asked.

"Lead the way." Sirius swept an arm out, indicating that Marlene and Lily should head off down the street.

"Of course." Lily raised an eyebrow, beating back her blush. "Except it's this way." She pointed in the opposite direction. James grinned a little, tugging on his son's hand and starting to lead him after Marlene, who had set off. Lily fell into step with Sirius, just behind them.

"It was good of you to come today." Sirius muttered, keeping his voice low so that James didn't hear. "He'll never say it, but he's missed you girls lot over the years, Lily. Your support today really meant a lot to him."

"James is my friend." She repeated. "You all are. And I'd like to think that you'd all have done the same for me."

"Of course." Sirius snorted dismissively.

The walk was silent. It was a chilly night—Lily was glad to have worn a jumper instead of a shirt. It was slightly awkward. She and Sirius had gotten on well enough past-Hogwarts (when he wasn't there to annoy her all day, every day, she actually found him quite funny), but they hadn't ever been the best of friends. Aside from their mutual friendship with James and Remus, and their shared hatred of Voldemort and the Dark Arts, neither of them really had anything in common.

"How have you been since the last time we saw each other?" Lily decided that she was going to have to be the one to break the silence.

"Not bad. Mostly been looking for work." Sirius's lopsided grin didn't ring quite true. "Been helping James a lot, the past year."

Lily quirked an eyebrow. "He trusts you around his kid? I'm surprised he doesn't have a potty mouth worse than my uncle."

"Har har." Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're a hoot, Evans."

"I try."

"Here we are!"

The group came to a stop outside a little café by a park. Stepping inside, Lily breathed in the smell of coffee and biscuits and relaxed. This was one of her favourite places in the world. When she wanted to take a break from the hectic commotion in the wizarding world, she would often pick up one of her favourite Muggle books and claim a window seat, and would just read, maybe with a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

"We can pull together some tables." Lily pointed to the back of the café, where there weren't many customers. "The management wont mind."

Marlene, Frank, Remus and Alice stayed behind to take orders (Marlene being the only one besides Lily who understood Muggle money, the other three to help carry the trays of food back) while the rest of them went to claim their tables. They were a large party, needing four tables to be pushed together—Lily almost laughed at the idea that the quiet little café wasn't going to be quiet for very long.

James sat on her right, with Charlie on his other side. Sirius sat next to Charlie. If Marlene (when they finally came back to the table, laden down with monstrous trays of food) hadn't sat on her other side, Lily would have felt terribly awkward.

It was a strange mixture of nostalgia and awkwardness as everyone started eating. Charlie was jabbering excitedly to all the adults, asking questions at a million miles an hour. The fact that he was a Pureblood child in the midst of a Muggle setting didn't seem to faze him, as he peppered them with question after question.

"What's that?" He pointed out the window to the park across the street.

"I dunno, mate." James answered truthfully. "What is it, Lily?"

Lily leant forward to see past James, and Sirius, who sat at the end of the table. She grinned. "That's a swing set."

"What's it do?" The little boy asked.

"It doesn't do anything—well, it kind of does, but _you_ do it." She laughed apologetically at the confused look across his face. "If your Dad doesn't mind, I'll show you after dinner." They both looked at James, who had been listening in on the conversation.

"I have no problem with that, as long as we're home before eight."

"So early?" Mary frowned from the other end of the table.

"Charlie's bedtime is half-eight." James shrugged.

"Oh."

"I have work tomorrow, too, and we have to pick up Neville, so we'll probably get going at around the same time." Frank remarked from next to Alice, across from Lily.

Mary sighed. "Okay, no wild parties, then."

Dorcas laughed. "We're a bit too old for raging parties and spiked pumpkin juice, Mary."

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully, filled with idle chatter and the occasional question or two—Lily felt somewhat like they were at the Gryffindor table again. Eventually, Dorcas, then Mary, then Remus decided to leave—Alice and Frank followed soon after. Lily, Marlene, Sirius and James decided that (since it was only seven-thirty), they would go across the road to the park and show Charlie the swings.

Lily swung back and forth, demonstrating as Sirius and Marlene wandered away down the path a bit. Eventually, the little boy gained enough confidence to settle himself on the swing and allow his father to push him, screaming "Higher! Higher!' just like Lily had when she'd been a little girl.

She stopped swinging, simply sitting in the seat and rocking back and forth, dragging her toes along the ground. James looked much too young to have a three year old—he was only twenty-four, after all. Alice and Frank weren't much better, she reasoned, but perhaps the fact that they were parents didn't seem as odd to her because they were together. Lily couldn't imagine being a parent at her age, let alone a _single_ parent.

She wondered, again, what kind of life James and his son had been living since his wife had gone to jail. Did Charlie miss her? Did he even _remember _her? Lily had been his age when her Grandmother had died, and she didn't remember a thing about her. Lily, herself, had only met Amelia Potter two or three times, and the woman had been defensive and suspicious towards her. She wondered what she had been _really_ like.

"Something on my face?" James had stopped pushing Charlie, who had worked out how to propel himself (Lily suspected that there was magic involved, but it was getting dark and no one would be able to tell), and had come over to lean on the scaffolding behind her.

"Just thinking—you look awfully young for kids." She said quietly—this wasn't something that she wanted the little boy to overhear (though she didn't think he would be able to, with the way he was shrieking with mirth).

"I hadn't planned on kids for a _long_ time." James shrugged. "But I can't say I would ever give him up. For anything."

This was a side of James Potter she had rarely seen; the quiet, introspective, deeply loving and family-orientated man that he'd grown into. She'd never actually seen him with Charlie as an infant, so she didn't know what he'd been like, adjusting to parenthood. A little voice told her that he'd probably taken to it pretty well. She remembered him telling her one time, after his parents had passed away, that he wished he had a larger family.

"You're good with him." She murmured, watching his face in the dying light.

He gave a sad sort of smile. "One of us had to be." He said darkly.

Lily gave a start. "His mother…?"

"Wasn't really all there." James tapped his finger to his temple. "At first I thought she was just having a hard time adjusting. Then I realised she was just a shite mother."

Lily's first thought was that this was a little unfair. But then, she reasoned, she hadn't really known the woman—what James was saying could have been true. And the bitterness that hardened his voice made it seem as if there was some real pain, real resentment, behind his assertions. "What was she like?"

He shrugged. "Typical Pureblood elitist, I suppose. All for the purification of the wizarding race and all that rot." He frowned. "She never was that vocal about it, though. I didn't really find out a lot about her until she went to Azkaban and I started going through her things." He snorted. "It's what got me into the mess at the Ministry today. When we met I thought she was some docile little girl from an old family. Her parents were both fairly close-minded, but I thought she'd been less… bigoted, I suppose, than them."

Lily was silent.

"Daddy, look! Watch me go!"

Lily and James's attention both snapped to the little boy. Their eyes widened as he reached the apex of his swing and let go—they both let out a terrified sort of strangled scream as he went sailing into the air, across the park, and landed on Sirius's back.

They could hear him swearing from where they were, stomping back with the kid toddling along behind him, looking frightened. As James proceeded to scold the little boy about using magic in public—"I _told_ you, Charlie! You're don't _do_ things like that in the Muggle world!"—Lily cast her eyes around the park. They were in luck—no one else was about. No one else had seen.

"We're going to have to go." James huffed, holding Charlie's elbow with a scowl on his face. "It's getting late and we should have gone ten minutes ago, anyway."

"Alright." Lily stood and dusted off her behind. "We can walk to our flat. You can apparate from there."

They trekked back to Lily and Marlene's flat in silence, punctured by Charlie's occasional sniffle. As Lily let them in and Marlene disappeared into her bedroom (shouting farewells), Lily turned to James and Sirius.

"It was good to see you today, even if the circumstances were terrible. You'll have to write me—both of you." She told them. "Don't be a stranger."

"Yeah, you too, Lily." Sirius clapped her on the shoulder, grinning before he and James disapparated.

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><p><strong>I dislike having so many characters in one scene, lol.<strong>

**Tumblr is so depressing at the moment. My dashboard is full of RIP Lily/James things.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, don't forget to review!**

**~SF**


	3. Chapter Three

**I've been writing too much the last few days. I think I have a problem. :x**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. All rights to Harry Potter and affiliated products belong to Ms J.K. Rowling and the other proper entities.

**Summary:** Several years after graduating Hogwarts, Lily once again meets James Potter, who is in a very different kind of trouble than the one that he used to produce in school. Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him... and his young son.

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Warnings:** None.

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><p><strong>Millstone<strong>

**Chapter Three**

A month and a half passed, and Sirius had kept his promise to write to Lily; since he had practically moved into James's house to help with the little boy, he had been signing them with James's name too. They'd been in correspondence for a few weeks, and had seen each other only once in Diagon Alley (Lily had run into Sirius picking out a birthday present for Charlie on her way to work) when the invitation came.

_Lily,_ it read,

_James and I are throwing a birthday party for Charlie this Saturday, and James wants me to pass on an invitation to you and Marlene. Charlie can't stop talking about you since you showed him the swings, and Alice and Frank are going to need some other adults to talk to, and they don't really know anyone else coming (I don't think)._

_It's at one o'clock at the Potter Mansion—you can floo over. Please come. The kid won't stop asking when you're going to come see them again._

_Let me know a.s.a.p., yeah? Charlie's driving James spare asking if he's invited you yet._

_Cheers,  
>Sirius<em>

She blinked at the parchment for a moment before getting a confirmation from Marlene and sending off an acceptance.

It was a good thing she had the party to look forward to (even if it _was_ only for a three year old), because her Friday was horrible. She had started work (stacking shelves in Flourish and Blotts) and was just about to go on her lunch break when the owner had called her into the back room.

"Listen, Lily." The little man with the bushy moustache fidgeted with a file on the shelf on the side of the room. She peered at him curiously. "As you know, the store isn't doing so well—we're in the off-season now, and…"

"…and?" Lily prodded, mystified. She blinked at him.

He sighed and finally met her eyes. "Look, I wish I didn't have to do this, but I've got to let you go." He pushed on resolutely, despite the way her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "You've been marvellous the last six months and I can promise glowing references, but… we just can't afford you."

"Just like that?" She asked in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry."

"Do… do I have to leave now?"

"Yes. I really _am_ sorry." He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "I wish we'd been able to keep you, but… the economy since the war hasn't been great."

"Right." Her voice was trembling now. "I'll go then. Good bye."

She ignored his calling after her and fled the shop, getting lost in the early morning crowd. She sniffled a few times, wiping at her eyes to keep the tears from falling. She was more angry than anything—she'd been a model employee for six months, polite to the customers, helpful with management…

She was so busy trying to calm herself down before she broke down in the middle of the street that she didn't notice the dark-haired child running at her until he collided with her legs. If she hadn't been standing so close to a stack of barrels outside the apothecary, she would have toppled tail over teakettle, the way he had her legs in a bear hug.

"Hi, Lily!" Her beamed up at her. She blinked down at him, bewildered.

"Charlie!" James was running over toward them, looking harassed. "How many times have I _told_ you—" he looked up and met Lily's gaze. Almost automatically, his hand jumped to his hair.

The familiarity of the gesture made Lily laugh, the sound bubbling out of her before she could think so stop it. "Hello, James." She greeted him. "Hello Charlie." She looked down at the boy.

"Hey, Lily." James stared at her for a moment before his son's laughter brought him back to reality. "Charlie! How many times have I told you _not_ to run off when we go out? You could get lost."

"Sorry, Daddy." The little boy's apology was hardly sincere—he was wearing a big grin that caused his eyes to crinkle at the edges. It was the kind of smile James had used at school when asserting his innocence regarding something that everyone _knew_ he'd been responsible for. '_Cheeky little brat_', she'd used to think. It was still applicable.

"Let Lily go, Charlie," he sighed. "She needs her legs to walk."

She stumbled a bit when Charlie released her, getting her balance back. She grinned gratefully at James. "How are you?"

"Not bad." James shrugged. "I just took Charlie down to the Mediwitch down the street." He jerked his head down the alley. "Looks like the poor little bugger's got my eyesight."

Lily cocked an eyebrow. "I thought glasses ran in your family, Potter. Are you honestly telling me you expected different?" She winked at his pseudo-offence.

"I'll have you know," he said with an air of mock-pompousness, "that the curse of the Potter eyesight has been known to skip some select, very lucky brats in our bloodline."

Lily laughed.

"Daddy, can Lily come with us?" Charlie asked, grasping Lily's hand and looking up at his Dad imploringly. Lily was slightly flattered that he seemed to like her so much, considering that this was only the second time he'd ever seen her.

"Lily's probably busy." James explained patiently. "Besides, you'll see her tomorrow. Maybe next time."

"Actually, I just got fired." There was a little embarrassment in Lily's voice as she admitted it. "I was going to have some lunch and head home."

"See?" Charlie cried triumphantly. "Can she come Daddy, _please_?"

James appeared flustered and awkward. He ran his hand through his hair. "Well, if she wants to, I suppose."

"Oh, I don't want to intrude." Lily shook her head. "If it's a family thing—"

"It's not, really." James shrugged. "We're just headed to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch on our way home. You're welcome to come with, if you want."

"If you're sure I'm not intruding on anything." Lily would ask herself why she was blushing at a later time.

Charlie was ecstatic. "Come on! Let's go!" He started to pull Lily by the hand up to the pub. She tripped along, laughing, as James hurried to catch up again.

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><p>The next day was as much an Order reunion as it was a child's birthday party. Lily was surprised to see so many people that she knew there—the Longbottoms, obviously, but also some of the Prewitts, and the Weasleys were there, too.<p>

She'd met Molly and Arthur Weasley a few times over the years while working for the Order. Molly's older twin brothers, Fabian and Gideon, had worked for the Order for a year or two before they'd been killed—she had met their sister and her husband at the funeral.

The courtyard—_his manor was so big that it had it's own courtyard!_—was filled with red-headed children, running around and screaming their heads off playing with the snow. Most of them were older—some of them were obviously Hogwarts age—two of the older boys, if she remembered correctly, would have been in first and third year that year.

"We're glad to have the boys back for Christmas this year." Molly was telling her. "Last year Bill and Charlie—my Charlie, of course—insisted on staying at the Castle."

"I miss Hogwarts Christmases." Lily admitted. "I stayed for sixth and seventh year—my parents were a bit put out, but they understood."

"There's nothing quite like it." Molly agreed. "But still, I like to have all my boys with me."

They were momentarily distracted by a loud noise outside—James and Sirius had dug into their old stash of fireworks, and were letting them loose in random points in the courtyard. Lily laughed at Remus feigning fear and running away from a large dragon-shaped firework, chasing him around the porch. The children shrieked with mirth when it appeared to gobble him up whole.

"Always the jokesters." Lily chuckled as Remus reappeared, a little singed but no worse for wear.

"It's good that they can still laugh." Molly shook her head in amusement. "Excuse me, dear. My daughter—" she pointed to where a little red-haired girl was crying silently on the steps.

"Of course. It was nice talking to you, Molly."

Lily wandered around for a little while, admiring the expansive yard, before she heard the shout.

"Watch out, Evans!"

She turned at Sirius's voice, expecting to see him some distance away, perhaps about to throw a spell at her. Instead, she saw a bright green snake firework chasing her, snapping its jaws. She shrieked—half with surprise, half with laughter. Thankful that she'd worn sensible shoes, she tore off down the courtyard, laughing the whole way. It was so like them, she thought in passing, to pull something like this. She didn't know why she hadn't expected it.

She vaulted over a table, earning some cheers from the spectating children—she even got an appreciative whoop from Sirius and James. Laughing, she ran up the stairs and attempted to hide behind Marlene.

"Bloody Hell!" Marlene shoved her away, laughing. "Keep that thing away from me, Lily!"

"How dare you abandon me, McKinnon!" Lily ran away, pretending to threaten her friend. Instead of seeking amnesty from the other women, she barrelled over to James and Sirius. "Which one of you set that thing on me?" She demanded.

James pointed to Sirius, who waved cheekily.

Lily looked over her shoulder. The firework was getting close. "Right." She nodded.

She grabbed Sirius's jacket and, taking advantage of his surprise, whirled him around and shoved him in the firework's path. He didn't have time to react and, while James was leaning on Lily for support while he laughed, the green snake swallowed him whole.

Everyone laughed, but no one was laughing as hard as James. He had thrown an arm around Lily's shoulders and had nearly doubled over, clutching his ribs with his free arm. When he finally gained control again, Lily saw him lift his glasses and wipe away a few tears.

Sirius emerged from the remains of the firework with a big grin on his face. "Nice one, Lily." He admitted, clapping her on the back.

"Yeah, well," she winked at him, "don't do it again."

He saluted.

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><p>Lily had started to teach the children how to make snow angels when Molly and Arthur approached them a few hours later.<p>

"Time to go!" Molly called out for her kids. "Come on, you lot!"

"Already?" Bill (Lily had learned all their names, even if she kept mixing up the twins), asked in surprise. "We haven't even had cake."

Arthur Weasley shook his head. "Get your things. Mister Potter's just got an urgent owl and he needs to go somewhere. We can't stay."

"What happened?" Lily sat up as the children hurried inside—Neville Longbottom went off in search of his parents as well, and Charlie tagged along, not wanting to be left behind if everyone was going inside.

"He's gotten an owl from Azkaban." Arthur shuddered. "There's only one reason people ever get owls from Azkaban."

"His wife?" Lily guessed.

"He hasn't said, but it looks like it." Molly sighed. "It was lovely seeing you again, Lily. Thank you for entertaining the children today."

"No problem." Lily scrambled to her feet, brushing the snow off her bum. "I'll see you another time."

A few minutes after Molly and Arthur had entered the house, Lily followed them. They were just sending the last of their children through the fire and apparated away when Lily came into the living room.

"Where's James and Charlie?" Lily asked Alice, who was watching Frank take Neville through the fireplace.

"He took Charlie into the kitchen." Alice answered sombrely. "I heard Sirius tell Arthur that James has been expecting the news for a while now—I'm surprised she lasted a year, myself." She licked her lips. "I'll see you later, Lily." She grabbed a handful of Floo powder.

"See you." Lily waved as Alice called out "Longbottom home!" and disappeared in a roar of green flames. Lily stared into the emerald fire, mind blank. It slowly bled back to the normal orange.

"Oh, good, you're still here."

Lily whirled around at the voice. "Sirius?" She blinked.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Marlene left just after James got the owl."

"I should go, too." Lily looked back at the fire.

"Actually," Sirius interrupted her thoughts, "I was hoping you could do us a favour."

Lily blinked. "What favour?" Sirius beckoned her into the hallway and up a flight of stairs. She followed obediently, startled. "Sirius, what is it?"

"Do you think you can watch Charlie tonight?" He asked point blank. "James needs to go to Azk—to the prison with a representative from St Mungos to collect the body. Remus and I want to go with him, but he can't leave Charlie here by himself."

"Why me? Why not send him to Alice and Frank's place, or something?" Lily asked.

Sirius smirked a little. "Kid's been asking for you. He's really taken a shine to you." He paused. "So, can you? We can't let James go by himself, and Charlie's pretty upset."

"Of course." Lily answered, incredulous. "You ask like you expected me to say 'no'."

"Thanks a ton, Evans." Sirius sounded tired. They paused and he knocked softly on a door. Lily guessed it was a bedroom.

It opened to James's pale face. His eyes flickered between Lily and Sirius, confused. "She'll watch Charlie while we go to Azkaban." Sirius told him softly.

James came out and shut the door behind him. "Thanks, Lily." He lifted his glasses and rubbed his nose. "He's throwing a bit of a tantrum now, though. I've just had to explain what's happening and what it means. When he calms down he'll probably want to eat something."

"Alright." Lily nodded, startled at seeing him look so old. He was only young, but he looked like he'd aged at least ten years.

"Are we ready to go?" They turned to fine Remus at the other end of the hall, at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah." James nodded. "Lily—if you need anything, call for Bonny. My house elf." He explained. "We probably wont be back until late, so feel free to commandeer the guest room down the hall." He pointed at the room at the end of the corridor. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Alright." She nodded. "And James, if you ever need someone to watch Charlie again—while you sort out everything—I'll be happy to help."

"Thanks, Lily." He gave a wan smile. "You're a gem." Lily watched as they disapparated.

She took a moment to press her ear to the door to Charlie's room. When she heard nothing, she gently pushed it open. "Charlie?" She called out.

He was on his bed, sobbing. Making a shushing sound, Lily sat on his bed and put her hand on his back, rubbing it while he cried.

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><p><strong>EDIT: <strong>Fixed Bill and Charlie Weasley's Years in Hogwarts. I originally put them a year too high.

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><p><strong>There's not really a lot I want to say about this chapter—I think it's fairly self-explanatory.<strong>

**Thanks for reading. Review and let me know what you think.**

**Sparkly Faerie**


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